


Blind Love

by keinherz



Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-12-10
Updated: 2013-01-19
Packaged: 2017-11-20 20:25:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 19,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/589311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keinherz/pseuds/keinherz
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hibari likes Tsuna. Tsuna doesn't and makes some bad choices before realizing that he actually does. With life coming at him rapidly, he's forced to change. But can Tsuna prevail as a boss and still get the knight in shining armor at the end?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning of a Disaster

Tsunayoshi, Tsuna for short, could not believe Reborn. What in the world was he thinking? Reborn knew that Tsuna is in love with Kyoko. Heck, Reborn nearly pestered him every day to confess his love to her and Reborn even shot him with two dying will bullets to speed up the process. Why, Tsuna begged, would Reborn say Tsuna lied when Hibari gave him a love confession thus making him accept a date?

Because Reborn is a sadist that’s why.

But seriously, why, oh why would he ever do that? Tsuna paced in his room and started to think of ways to, one) get revenge on Reborn—which he knew was impossible—and two) get Hibari off his back. He needed to get rid of him in the nicest, simplest was possible so that there were no hard feelings. Otherwise the whole mafia and the boss-subordinate/guardian thing would be really awkward. As if it already wasn’t. He had to get Hibari to break up with him and not the other way around.

Tsuna, unfortunately, knew nothing of love nor did he know anything about breaking up. How was he supposed to make Hibari break up with him? And for that matter, why did Hibari even ask him out? Surely, the skylark couldn't actually be in love with him. He was scary, coldhearted, and emotionless.

"Maybe I should ask mama…" Tsuna trailed off. He shook his head. He didn't want her to know. He didn't want anyone to know. Knowing that Spartan tutor of his, Tsuna was sure that Reborn already told the entire town, especially Kyoko.

"I didn't tell the entire town, stupid."

Tsuna screamed and turned around to face the demon child. Reborn sat on top of the desk, legs crossed espresso in hand, and of course, his trademark smirk.

"Don't you ever knock?" Tsuna yanked on his hair. Reborn was possibly the last person he wanted to see right now. He was still angry at him.

"This is my room too," he said. "I sleep here. So don't think you can close the door and expect privacy."

Tsuna groaned and slumped onto his bed. He wanted to argue with Reborn but he was too exhausted.

"So what are you going to wear for your big date?" Reborn mused. Tsuna didn't answer; he was too busy sulking to himself. Reborn frowned and set down his drink. Nobody ignores him.

"Tsuna!" Reborn barked.

"Huh?" Tsuna finally answered. As he looked up, he received a big hammer to the face, knocking him off the bed.

"What the heck was that for?"

"Don't brood in my presence and listen when I'm talking, useless Tsuna. What are you going to wear for your big date?"

Tsuna stayed planted on the floor and thought to himself. He never really thought about that. In fact, he wasn't sure where Hibari was taking him. Hibari told him that he would pick up him up at tomorrow at one o' clock.

"A little birdy told me he's going to take you to the park," Reborn said.

"Hey, don't read my mind!" Tsuna protested. "And I'm not going!"

"That's not very Vongola of you, Tsuna. Just wear normal clothes and you'll be fine."

Tsuna's eyes narrowed.

"Since when do you give me dating advice?" Tsuna asked suspiciously.

"Well, seeing as your father is always gone on construction jobs and is unavailable for these little talks, I've decided to fill in for him. A tutor always teaches their students. You’re no exception."

"No way, I don't believe you. You're planning something. I know it and I can't go. I have homework and, ugh, and I don't want to go out with him. I don't even like him like that. I like girls."

"Hmph," Reborn said, picking up his espresso, "it's not my problem. You should have told him no instead of trying to back out with a white lie. As part of being your tutor, I must make sure you grow up to be truthful and honest. It was very fair of me to call you out. I refuse to have a useless student who lies so poorly."

Tsuna groaned.

"I don't understand," Tsuna said to no one in particular. Reborn remained silent. "Why the hell did Hibari ask me out?"

"Maybe because he actually likes you?"

"That's hard to believe," Tsuna mumbled as he flopped onto his bed. He didn't care if he was still wearing his uniform. It was always wrinkled and Hibari always punished him for it. Tsuna shuttered at the thought of Hibari actually liking him. How many times has Hibari actually thought about Tsuna in that sort of way while he was beating the crap out of him up for breaking some school rules?

Reborn kept his head down and hopped down from the desk and exited the room. Slowly, but surely, his plan would come along.

 

* * *

 

Tsuna ended up falling asleep in his uniform anyways and in the process, skipping dinner. Yesterday was a stressful day at school. Dread only came when Tsuna's feet touched the ground. He remembered that he had to go on a date with the disciplinary officer today at one. Maybe he could feign sick, but that would be lying and Reborn might actually kill him this time.

"I wouldn't kill you, but Hibari might if he ever saw your uniform like that. I bet he would even find it disrespectful," Reborn said dully. Tsuna jumped. "Mama hasn't made breakfast yet, but you better get dressed and get a spot at the table."

Reborn left and Tsuna glanced at the only working clock in his room. It was early, earlier than Tsuna was used to being up. He was amazed, but then again he probably did sleep about 12 hours. His stomach growled.

However, there was something that Reborn said that got Tsuna thinking. Tsuna, who made be useless and a bit stupid, was not all that stupid. It really sounded like Reborn was giving him a hint about Hibari otherwise why would he bring that up? Maybe it was possible that Reborn was just trying to mess with him.

Tsuna bathed and dressed quickly. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do, but Reborn made it clear that Hibari would be offended if Tsuna's uniform was untidy. Tsuna supposed he could be more untidy than usual around Hibari and that could possibly make Hibari see that he didn't want Tsuna, but he was certain that Hibari didn't care about Tsuna's appearance since he was always untidy around school anyways.

Tsuna trudged down the stairs and took his place at the table next to Futa and Bianchi.

"Well someone's up early," Bianchi cooed. Tsuna looked up; he realized she was talking to Reborn. Weird. Tsuna always thought Reborn was up early way before Tsuna ever got up. What does Reborn usually do in the mornings?

"Morning Tsu-kun," Nana said. "Glad to see you up so early. What are you doing today that's got you so motivated?"

Tsuna started sweating bullets. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to say. He couldn't lie in front of Reborn, but he didn't want to say that he was going on a date with Hibari.

"I'm, um, hanging out with a friend," Tsuna said. There, that wasn't a lie, but not the whole truth. Reborn smirked.

"Oh. That's nice," Nana said. Tsuna slouched in his seat a bit in relief. "Which friend?"

Reborn glared at Tsuna. Tsuna straightened in his seat.

"Hibari," Tsuna replied truthfully. Reborn's glare ceased.

"Oh that boy," Nana speculated, "last time he was here he came through a window didn't he?"

"Uh, yeah, he did," Tsuna said remembering that time he thought he killed that guy. That was Reborn’s fault. Tsuna also remembered his hatred for Reborn from yesterday.

Nothing was said on that matter anymore during breakfast. Tsuna sulked back to his room trying to think ways out of dating Hibari. Nobody seemed to bother him, which was good, but also boring. Tsuna almost couldn't eat lunch he was so nervous.

"You know Tsuna, you should be careful hanging out with Hibari today," Reborn said nonchalantly.

"Why?" Tsuna freaked out.

"It's just advice, Tsuna. You shouldn't read into my words."

"Well could you actually give me good advice or advice that makes sense?" Tsuna grumbled. "Like maybe how to make Hibari break up with me?"

"You'll never learn anything like that. Besides, I'm not going to help you break up with Hibari. That's against my moral code."

_What morals,_  Tsuna thought.

"Useless student," Reborn retorted. Tsuna shrunk in his seat. "I'll just say this. It's probably a good thing that Gokudera and Ryohei aren't here."

"Why?" Tsuna asked hesitantly.

"Just saying," Reborn shrugged. "They usually get Hibari all riled up. You know with Gokudera's defiance to rules and Ryohei's loudness."

Before Tsuna had time to think, the doorbell rang. Tsuna's chocked out a noise.

"Go answer the door, Tsuna," Reborn said. Tsuna walked slowly to the door. He felt weak in his knees from dread. Tsuna took a deep breath and opened the door.

"Tenth!"

Tsuna nearly cried in relief. It was just Gokudera. Thank goodness.

"Are you alright? You look pale," Gokudera worried.

"I'm fine," Tsuna said, although he was sure if it actually were Hibari, he would have had an actual panic attack. "What are you doing here?"

"I came over to see if you wanted to hang out today," Gokudera smiled. "Especially since that baseball idiot is busy today."

"Tsuna can't today. He's busy too," Reborn said in the other room. Tsuna ushered Gokudera inside.

"What's he doing," Gokudera asked bummed out.

"I wouldn't be concerned with what he's going. I would be more concerned about you. You're going to be very busy today also."

"What? Why?" Gokudera asked.

"Well, if you want to be the best right hand man that Tsuna could ever have," Reborn said.

("Hell yeah!")

"Then you must train with me today," Reborn finished. He pulled out a list. "Here, this will help you."

Gokudera grabbed the list and studied it. He looked perplexed. Tsuna glanced over his shoulder and looked at the list.

"Is that a scavenger hunt list?" Tsuna asked.

"No, useless Tsuna. Obviously, to the untrained eyes, it looks that way; but to real mafia, it's something different. Right, Gokudera? You know this," Reborn said casually.

"Uh, right!" Gokudera said not too convincingly. "I know exactly what this is. Don't worry tenth. I won't let you down!"

Gokudera rushed out of the house and another person walked in.

"Are you ready?"

Tsuna knew that voice. Tsuna turned around and gave a short nod. He wasn't sure where his voice was. There was no way he was prepared for this.

"Have fun," Reborn called out.

Tsuna followed Hibari out of the house. He hoped he would make it back home in one piece.


	2. A New Look on Things

"You didn't bring your motorcycle," Tsuna blurted out. He didn’t mean to say it. He was so nervous walking with Hibari.

"I figured you probably didn't want to ride it," Hibari replied. "Otherwise I would have brought it."

_Wow,_ Tsuna thought,  _we're actually having a conversation._

"I know how to converse," Hibari retorted.

Reborn was right; Hibari ended up taking him to the park. It was beautiful this time of year with all of the cherry blossom trees. Tsuna was surprised since he didn't think Hibari would ever be comfortable around them again. Hibari must have brought him here because he must have known Tsuna liked them so much.

They viewed the trees for a while, which made Tsuna glad because at least they didn't have to talk. Which was great because he had no idea what to talk to Hibari about.

"Are you alright?" Hibari asked. He actually sounded concerned, which was weird. Tsuna had to think of something quick. He said the first thing that came to mind; Gokudera.

"I need a cigarette," Tsuna blurted out. Hibari stopped walking and looked at Tsuna questioningly. Tsuna stopped too. Tsuna couldn't believe he said that.

"I've never seen you smoke," Hibari said slowly. He didn't seem to believe Tsuna.

Tsuna couldn't believe he was lying in front of Hibari, the guy who could easily beat him up. His palms became sweaty and tried to keep a normal posture. It took everything in his body to not run away right now. Tsuna took a deep breath.

"Exactly," Tsuna replied.

"I find that hard to believe."

"That's because you don't know me."

"Yes," Hibari said, walking again. Tsuna didn't. "I don't know you that well. That’s why we’re here."

"Who are you?" Tsuna blurted out again. Hibari stopped and turned around. Tsuna realized that Hibari looked different all of a sudden. He was wearing normal clothes, yes, but he looked more vulnerable. He looked more human. Tsuna felt bad for trying to get rid of him.

"My name is—"

"No no no," Tsuna cut off. "I know your name. It's just I find it hard to believe that you’re you. You're not you. You're not in character; the real Hibari wouldn't do this. I wouldn't be here right now if you were being you."

"That's because  _you_  don't know  _me_. I've never had one of those stupid conventions where you go around in a circle and flashback to your past."

"Well that's because you never hang out or talk with anyone. You know, maybe you wouldn't be so scary if you had friends."

Hibari looked apathetic.

"That's not who I am."

"But you're talking now! This is the most I've ever heard you talk before. Why are you talking now?"

"Don't people usually talk on dates?"

Tsuna cringed. Right, this was a date. He forgot that. It was time for Tsuna to get more serious. Tsuna had to act abnormal to get rid of Hibari. That would be the only way. Heaven forbid if anyone ever saw him like this.

"Well I don't like talking. I think it's stupid," Tsuna grumbled. He felt his checks sting from embarrassment.

"You seem to talk all the time with those people you hang out with."

He started walking again and Hibari followed.

"Well those people don't mean anything, you know. They're just like lackeys." Tsuna couldn't believe the words coming out of his mouth. "They piss me off. They're not my real friends."

"Hn," was all Hibari could reply. Hibari was shocked. He wasn't sure what to say to that. Sure, he spied on Tsuna before, but that was only during school hours where he was always around those friends of his. He didn’t believe a word he said.

Tsuna and Hibari ended up sitting on a bench. It was in a somewhat secluded area, but more people seemed to show up in the park so they weren't completely alone. Neither knew what to say to each other. Tsuna felt as if this was the worst date ever. He noticed Hibari fidgeting though.

"Why?" Tsuna said.

"Why what?"

"Never mind," Tsuna said changing his mind. He wanted to ask why Hibari asked him out, but decided against it. "I should go home, I have homework."

Not a lie and not the truth. Tsuna stood up and started to walk away. He thought he had gotten away scotch free.

"Do you want me to walk you home?" Hibari asked awkwardly. Tsuna stopped and turned around. It was painful to look at him.

"I'll be fine."

"Well then are you free next weekend?"

"I don't know—"

"He's free," Reborn's voice said out of nowhere. Reborn, wearing his cupid outfit, floated down from a tree branch. Tsuna couldn't believe him. Reborn was ruining everything. He didn't want to go on another date.

"In fact, Tsuna's schedule is actually empty for the time being. So since this date was such a success, why don't you two have dinner next time?"

Tsuna, who looked normal on the outside, was screaming on the inside. The same could be said for Hibari, except each boy had different reasons to be screaming about.

"Alright, I'll pick you up at five next time." It wasn't a question; it was a statement. Tsuna had to go.

"Come on Tsuna. Let's go home," Reborn said, unlatching the suspending ropes and hopping onto Tsuna's shoulder. Tsuna walked away stunned form the event that just happened. He couldn't believe Reborn. He was so shocked and mad at the same time. Tsuna didn't feel as if he was in his body anymore.

"Why did you give Gokudera a scavenger hunt list?" Tsuna asked when they got home.

"So there wouldn't be any interruptions on your big date," Reborn replied.

"But that list was ridiculous. You put the weirdest stuff on it. I've never even heard of half that stuff on that list."

"Well, it certainly kept him busy."

"You lied to him!" Tsuna hollered.

"Yeah, and?"

Tsuna groaned. "You were the one who told me not to lie."

"I told you not to lie poorly. A lie is only good if it doesn't hurt anyone and if you can get away with it."

"I thought the whole point of being truthful and honest was to be truthful and honest."

"The mafia doesn't work that way unfortunately. Honesty is your number one priority, but sometimes other people can't handle the truth. So when you can't tell the truth, you lie. Or shot the guy. Depends on the situation."

"I don't like this. I don't like any of this. I don't want to kill anyone and I certainly don't want to date Hibari."

"Then why didn't you tell him that? You had your chance."

"Why?" Tsuna exaggerated. "Because he's like a ticking time bomb. I bet if I don't do something right, he'll bite me to death  _in the name of love_. And for that matter, I don't even believe he actually likes me. I bet  _you_  put him up to this. I bet you're trying to teach me a lesson or something."

Reborn whacked Tsuna in the head with a giant hammer.

"Don't use that tone with me. And is it really hard for you to believe that Hibari might actually like you?"

"Yes. Yes it is. Hibari is… well Hibari. He's not supposed to be in love with anyone. I’m not sure he has any other emotions besides pride and anger. He's not human. He's a cyborg. This isn't how my life is supposed to go. My life’s a disaster."

"Well I'll say," Reborn mused. "You better get it together before your life really falls apart."

"You think this is a game?" Tsuna shouted.

"What's going on?" Futa asked as he walked to the front of the house. "I heard shouting."

"Well, Tsuna?" Reborn asked. "What is going on?"

Tsuna paused and thought to himself. He tried his best to calm down.

"Sorry Futa. Nothing is going on. Don't worry about it," Tsuna softly said. "Where is everyone else?"

"Well Bianchi went off with mama to do some shopping and they took Lambo and I-Pin with them."

"Who's watching you?" Tsuna exclaimed.

"Dino."

"Where is Dino," Reborn demanded.

"I don't know."

"Great," Tsuna sighed. "Let's go find him."

Dino was found eventually. He had tripped upstairs, hit his head, and fell unconscious. Dino came to Japan as a surprise since all of his meetings were cancelled in Italy. He hadn’t seen his little brother in so long. Tsuna didn't like that one bit. He had no idea how he was supposed to explain Hibari to Dino. And even worse, Tsuna had no idea how he was supposed to act at school.

Would Hibari randomly come up to Tsuna and act all bubby buddy with him? Would he call him some pet name or call him into the disciplinary office to  _hang out_? Would Hibari start eating lunch with him and all his friends? How was he supposed to explain that to them?

Surprisingly, nothing happened at school the next day. Life seemed to carry on as if the date never happened. Tsuna was still on high alert. He was more alert than usual. However, everything was normal until Hibari cornered him at the end of the week.

"Wear something nice tomorrow for our date tomorrow."

"Where are we going?" Tsuna asked. Being alone with Hibari made him uneasy. He wasn't expecting this.

"Somewhere nice out of town. And bring a jacket; we'll be on my motorcycle this time."

Hibari walked away. Dread came back to Tsuna. He’d forgotten about date number two. There were also going out of town. Hibari was probably taking Tsuna somewhere reclusive where Tsuna wouldn't know how to get home by himself. He would be trapped.

Tsuna couldn't focus for the rest of the day. It wasn't saying much since he never really seemed to focus in class at all.

"Tenth, are you alright?" Gokudera finally asked at the end of school. "You've been acting strange."

"Ha," Yamamoto laughed, "I'm sure he's just nervous for the test on Monday. Right?"

"Yeah," Tsuna responded. "The test. I got to go home guys. You don't have to walk me home."

Yamamoto frowned.

"Are you sure Tsuna?" Yamamoto asked. Tsuna nodded and walked off without his friends. He left them behind stunned.

"Hey Tsuna," Enma called out, running up to him.

"Not now."

Tsuna kept walking, leaving a shocked Enma behind. He really didn't mean to put Enma off like that, but he wanted some time to think to himself. The more he thought about it, the more he felt guilty. He considered walking back and apologizing. But he never turned around.

"That wasn't nice what you did to Enma," Reborn said to Tsuna as he walked home. Reborn had appeared out of nowhere and landed on his head. Tsuna ignored him until he got home.

"Hey, Tsuna. How was school?" Dino greeted when Tsuna got home.

"It was alright," Tsuna said, going up to his room. Reborn hopped off his shoulder and Tsuna slammed the door to his room. Everything was going downhill for Tsuna and he didn't know how to stop it. He pulled his hands to his face and sighed into them.

"What's up with him?" Dino asked Reborn. "Should I go talk to him?"

"I don't know what's up with him. He's been acting strange," Reborn said nonchalantly. "Maybe you should just let him have some space."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm never wrong."

 

* * *

 

"Here, wear this," Hibari said as he handed Tsuna a helmet. Tsuna nodded and put it on. He awkwardly got on the bike behind Hibari. They drove off, not noticing that Tsuna’s friends saw them.

"Was that Tsuna getting on the back of a bike with Hibari?" Enma asked stunned.

"There's something EXTERMELY wrong with Sawada!"

"Let's have a talk with Reborn," Gokudera said. "He'll know what's up."

"Yeah," Yamamoto agreed.

All four of them went to the house hastily. The day before, the four of them talked. They were concerned with the weird behavior coming from Tsuna. Now they were worried because since when did Tsuna ever hang out with Hibari. They rang the doorbell and waited.

"Hello, come in," Nana said as she opened the door. "Tsuna's not here right now though. Would any of you like to stay for dinner?"

The four boys walked in.

"We'd love to stay, but we're on official business," Gokudera said.

"Do you know where Tsuna is?" Yamamoto asked. Nana went back to the kitchen to finished cooking.

"He's hanging out with one of his friends. Hibari, I think his name was," she told them.

The four boys looked at each other with worry. Tsuna never told them that he was friends with Hibari. In fact, Tsuna barely spoke all week.

"Tsuna has got some weird behavior, doesn't he?" Dino asked.

"Do you know what's going on with him?" Enma asked.

Dino beckoned them to the living room. Reborn was already there. They all took a seat.

"I don't know what's going on with Tsuna," Dino replied. "He's been acting weird around the house."

"Reborn, do you know what's going on?" Yamamoto asked.

"Tsuna has been acting weird. Maybe the five of you should have an intervention. After all, Tsuna has been lying more often. In fact, I even heard he's started smoking, although I can't find any evidence of that. It seems he's picked it up from you, Gokudera."

Gokudera looked hurt.

"But I've quit! Oh no, what I have I done," he said. "We need to have a talk with him. I never meant for him to pick up my bad habits! I'm the worst right hand man!"

"It seems as if Tsuna has picked up many bad habits," Dino added. "Gokudera is right. We need to have a talk with him."

"I think that Hibari guy is making an EXTEMELY bad influence on Sawada!"

"Agreed," Enma piped in. "We need an intervention. Should we wait up until he gets home and talk to him tonight?"

"You shouldn't wait up," Reborn said. "He'll get back late. Sleep tonight and in the morning talk to Tsuna. By the way Gokudera, have you completed the list?"

"Shit."

 

* * *

 

Being on Hibari's motorcycle was a new experience to Tsuna. Sure, he rode one in the future, but that was different. Being on the back of a motorcycle was… relaxing. It was peaceful. But Tsuna knew something bad was about to come, he just didn't know when. But the motorcycle gave him a sense of peace for the time being. It almost made him more confident.

It was a while before they came to a stop. Tsuna had never been to the restaurant before, but Hibari seemed to be familiar with it. Neither said anything when they got to the table.

Tsuna noticed Hibari had dressed in normal clothes again. His hair was combed more so than ever before, but it wasn't combed back. He looked nice as if he was trying to make an effort. Hibari's stare made Tsuna feel uncomfortable, even though it wasn't a glare.

The server came to their table. She was tall and brunette. Her long hair was blocking her nametag and Tsuna never caught her name. She looked surprised to see Tsuna, but she treated Hibari like a regular.

"Can I get you anything to drink?"

She made it clear that Tsuna didn't exist at the table. It made Tsuna mad. He wasn't sure he was supposed to say anything. He felt he should but he didn't want to be rude to the server. It was odd thought, Tsuna never got mad like this before. Both teens ordered their drinks. Tsuna set down his menu and swallowed his heart.

"So why did you ask me out? Twice?" The question burned the back of his mind. Hibari shifted in his seat. Tsuna had to know. Hibari set down his menu.

"I wanted to go on a date with you." Hibari almost struggled with the words. It was different. It was also nice for a change. Tsuna finally wasn't the one who was fidgeting under interrogation. Tsuna set up straighter.

"But why?"

"I like you. I thought I made that clear when I first asked you out."

" _Why_  though."

The server came back with their drinks.

"Are you two ready to order?" This time she acknowledged Tsuna, but he noticed a short glare that she threw at him. Tsuna ignored it, but he wondered why she did it. They ordered their food, but Tsuna wasn't very hungry. It was so awkward sitting at a table with the skylark.

"So?" Tsuna demanded.

"I like you, isn't that reason enough?"

"No. Not even close."

Hibari shifted uncomfortably in his seat again. Tsuna took a sip of his water. Tsuna had built up anger inside of him. He didn't think it was all Hibari's fault. Reborn had a great deal to do with it also. Still, Tsuna didn't feel right. This wasn't like him. He didn't know what gotten into him, but being like this made him feel as if he was more in charge.

"Do you really smoke?" Hibari asked. Tsuna shifted his eyes for a second before looking back at Hibari.

"Don't change the subject," Tsuna demanded. Yes, he was in charge.

"I answered that. Answer mine," Hibari growled. Nope, Tsuna was not in charge. He looked away to avoid Hibari's glare. He almost forgot how scary Hibari could be.

"I do smoke." Tsuna took another sip of his drink. "Is that really hard to believe?"

"Yes, it is. I think you're lying. What kind do you smoke?"

Oh snap. He really got Tsuna there. He wasn't sure how to reply.

"I... don't know what kind," he said weakly. "I get them from Gokudera."

"I don’t think should be friends with that idiot," Hibari said.

"Why is that?" Tsuna asked angrily.

"He's obviously a bad influence on you. Before he came here, I knew you never smoked. I find it despicable that you do now."

"Maybe," Tsuna said taking offense for his friend, "but he was technically my first friend. I clearly don't remember you ever coming up to me to be friends."

"I've made some regrettable decisions in the past."

"That's hardly believable," Tsuna huffed. He sat back in his seat and looked over to the wall.

The server came back with their food.

"Is there anything else I can get for you?" she asked.

"No," Hibari replied. She left and they were alone again. Tsuna ate a little bit, but he mostly picked at his food.

"Do you come here often?" Tsuna asked.

"I come here occasionally. Why?"

"Just wondering."

 

* * *

 

After dinner, Hibari took Tsuna to a small festival that was going on in that town. It was amazing to see. There were many craft booths. Tsuna didn't buy anything. He didn't have much money on him, even though Hibari paid for their meal. Walking around the festival washed away all of the anger in Tsuna. He was actually having a good time with Hibari, despite their conversation earlier.

Hibari stepped away for a minute from Tsuna to talk to someone running one of the booths. Tsuna noticed that the person looked similar to Hibari. Tsuna thought it was possible that he was family, but it was hard to think about Hibari with any family. Tsuna always pictured Hibari like the lone wolf, never needing anyone for company.

"Who was that?" Tsuna asked when Hibari came back.

"That was my older brother," he replied. They started walking again.

"Really?" Tsuna exclaimed. Hibari nodded. "So, part of your family lives over here?"

"All of my family lives do. I live in this town."

"Wait a second, then why do you go to school in Namimori? Why not go to school here? Don't they have a school here?"

"Yeah, they do, but I got into some trouble so my parents sent me to school in Namimori. It's a long commute, but I find ways to make it worth my while."

He smiled at Tsuna. It was an actual real smile. A heartwarming smile, not a "bite-you-to-death" smile. Tsuna blushed.

"What happened that made your parents do that Hibari?" Tsuna asked. He felt awkward saying parents when talking to Hibari. In the back of his mind, he always thought Hibari was an orphan or something.

"I'd rather not say," Hibari sighed. "And from now on, can you call me Kyoya?"

"Oh ok. So you're still not going to spill the beans on your past, Hiba—Kyoya."

"Nope."

"Then how is this supposed to be an honest relationship?" Tsuna couldn't believe he said that. He didn't  _want_  to be in a relationship with Hibari. He didn't, right? In the back of his mind, Tsuna wasn't so sure anymore. There must have been something in the air.

"Is this an honest relationship?" Hibari asked. Tsuna looked into Hibari's eyes.

"Yes. I've been honest."

Hibari looked away, indifferently.

"Come on, I should take you home."

"What if I don't want to go home?" Tsuna asked. He stopped walking. Hibari stopped also and looked at Tsuna. Tsuna tried to stand his ground. He didn't want to leave. He was having such a good time.

"Everything will be closing soon."

"Isn't there somewhere we could go?" Tsuna really wanted to stay with Hibari more.

Hibari thought about it for a while.

"Yeah, there is," he finally replied. Tsuna smiled.

 

* * *

 

Tsuna didn't get back home until after midnight. He had a lot of fun staying up this late with Kyoya. After that night they had, Tsuna wasn't sure of his true feelings for him anymore.

Tsuna had successfully snuck into the house without waking anyone up. He stripped quietly and put on his pajamas. He stumbled a bit to his bed and when he hit the pillow, he was out like a light. It had actually been a pretty good day. He had a good time with Kyoya. A thought he’d never thought he would have.  

 


	3. And Thing Get Progressivly Worse

Tsuna woke up late the next day. He was surprised that Reborn didn't wake him up. He looked around his room and found no trace of him. It was weird but Tsuna didn't mind at all. No Reborn for a while was nice for a change.

Tsuna took his time to get dressed. This morning was very relaxing and peaceful. He sat back down on his bed. Tsuna closed his eyes and thought about last night. No words could describe what happened last night. Tsuna saw the other side of Hibari. He was no longer this scary, ruthless person out to get everyone. Last night was almost too fun though. In the heat of the moment, Tsuna said yes to another date.

Tsuna shot up. What has he done? He shouldn't like Hibari, and what if something happens next time. What if his friends found out? What would they think? Tsuna shuttered. He never really thought about that before. His thoughts were like the plague. Tsuna suddenly wasn't so happy anymore.

Tsuna finally walked downstairs only to be greeted by Reborn, Dino, Gokudera, Yamamoto, Ryohei, and Enma. He wondered how long they've been here. He also wondered _why_ they were here.

"Tsuna, we need to have a talk," Dino said. Tsuna slowly walked over to them and sat down. Tsuna was hungry, but he decided to ignore it for the time being. He could feel this was important.

"About what?" he said.

"The five of us have noticed that you've been acting strange for the past week. All of us are concerned Tsuna," Dino said. "We're afraid you've picked up bad habits from… certain people."

Tsuna sat there with this mouth open. He was shocked at this ordeal. He knew it was Reborn's doing, but he could even muster a glare to throw his way. He couldn't believe this was happening. He wished he was back in his room alone.

"Reborn told us that you didn't even get home until after midnight last night," Enma said quietly. "What were you doing out so late with Hibari? Is he threatening you?"

Tsuna glanced at the floor.

"If he's making you do anything you don't want to do then we can deal with him, that bastard," Gokudera added. "You don't have to be pressured by Hibari!"

"I'm not being bullied by Hibari," Tsuna asserted. "I'm not."

"Then why are you hanging with Hibari?" Dino asked. "I've trained him; I've tried to be friends with him. He's not the sort of guy to just hang out with someone. Crowds remember? He hates them."

Dino was right. Since when did Hibari crowd anywhere? Of course, he made it obvious to Tsuna that he liked him, but did that mean Hibari would crowd just for him? Tsuna almost forgot about how Hibari truly acted around other people. Tsuna wondered if Hibari’s stubbornness to not talk about the past had something to do with it.

"Hibari didn't make you do anything, did he?" Dino asked. Tsuna didn't know what he meant by that.

"I think what Dino means to say is that Hibari didn't take any advantage to you, right?" Yamamoto asked solemnly.

"I… don't understand," Tsuna replied.

"Did Hibari force you down last night?" Enma shouted.

"What?" Tsuna shouted back. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Did you have sex with Hibari?" Reborn bluntly asked.

Tsuna started blushing. Now he got what they meant. Gosh, he was really stupid. Everyone except Tsuna and Reborn were on the edge of their seats to hear the answer.

"No!" Tsuna shook his head furiously.

"Then what did you do with Hibari that made you stay out so late?" Yamamoto asked.

"Yeah," Ryohei piped in. "Nobody stays out that EXTEREMLY late without doing something like that."

Everyone nodded, even Enma.

Tsuna got very red in the face. He never questioned whether or not if his friends were virgins. Reborn didn't count. Dino sure, he was much older and probably had  _relations_  like that. But it made Tsuna uncomfortable to think about his big brother Ryohei, happy-go-lucky Yamamoto, right hand man Gokudera, and sweet innocent Enma ever having sex.

"I didn't do anything like that," Tsuna said defensively. "We just…"

Tsuna didn't know what to say. He really didn't have sex. They just hung out. He didn't want to say it was a date, he felt as if that would make things worse. But then what was he supposed to say? Tsuna glanced over to Reborn. That smirking bastard was enjoying every second of this. Gokudera sighed.

"I'm concerned about you," Gokudera said somberly. "That isn't you Tsuna. I mean, is it true that you're smoking because of me?"

Tsuna never felt as bad as he did right now. The guilt was too overwhelming. Looking at Gokudera was unbearable. Tsuna felt like the biggest let down.

"No," Tsuna spoke calmly. "I've never smoked before."

It was the truth, but Tsuna wasn't so sure about that anymore. He became too wrapped up in the lie with Hibari that he had forgotten that he never really smoked before. In fact, Tsuna remembered last night when they left the festival, Hibari pestered him more about it. Tsuna had created a fabric of lies from the first time he smoked to when the last time he had a cigarette.

"That's not what you told Hibari," Reborn said.

"Shut up," Tsuna barked.

Tsuna realized what he did. He felt as if those words didn't come out of his mouth. He suddenly didn't believe he was in his body. He could see his body now sitting there. He was dead. He was so dead because Reborn was going to kill him. Tsuna inhaled what he thought would be his last breath and looked over at Reborn. He was smiling, not smirking, smiling, and perhaps even giggling. Tsuna wasn't going to die; he was already dead. Why was he smiling?

Nobody else was smiling. Everyone's mouth was open. Dino had his hand to his mouth. The silence was horrible. There was no explaining this. What was Tsuna supposed to say? He was just full of lies and more lies. Lies, lies, lies.

"I'm under a lot of pressure," Tsuna finally said after a grueling silence. "I'm on a mission."

Oh, he hoped they would buy it. They didn't look too convinced. Reborn gave a look as if he was saying go on. Tsuna looked away from his friends. There was no way he could lie while looking at them.

"I can't say the details, but it involves my cloud guardian. I have to… get a…"

Words were failing Tsuna.

"I have to make sure… where his alliances are?"

Tsuna was literally the worst liar in the world.

"Oh I see," Dino laughed. "I've done that before."

He believed it. He couldn't believe Dino believed it. Tsuna saw that Reborn couldn't either. Tsuna didn't know if he should be happy at Dino stupidity or annoyed at Dino stupidity. Tsuna did agree on one thing; Dino may be a bit stupid but he still loved him.

"Really?" Enma breathed.

Were all his friends stupid?

"Yeah, it's true," Tsuna said. He looked up, smiled, and continued lying.

 

* * *

 

"How could they believe all of my lies?" Tsuna asked Reborn. “Why do I keep lying?”

They were alone in Tsuna's bedroom after everyone had left and Tsuna got a bite to eat. Tsuna somehow properly convinced everyone that nothing was going on. However, in the back of his mind, he didn't think he actually convinced them. He knew they were still going to be watching him to make sure he wasn't lying. He would have to watch his back.

"It's not because they're stupid," Reborn replied, "it's because they don't want to believe that you would do anything less than what they expect of you. They aren't stupid but rather afraid. By the way, what did you do with Hibari?"

"I didn't do…  _that_  if that's what you're asking," Tsuna said defensively.

"I'm not asking that. Where did you go after the festival?"

"How do you know about that?"

"Who do you think suggested it to Hibari?" Reborn smirked. Tsuna sat down in his desk chair. He glanced at the low scores on his old tests and turned away.

"Hibari isn't creative, Tsuna. I'm the one who suggested the park, restaurant, and festival. I would have thought he could come up with it himself, but he was really nervous. I'm sure he'll also come to me for another suggestion for the next date, if there is one. Is there?"

"Yes," Tsuna replied timidly. "But that doesn't sound like Hibari."

Reborn shrugged.

"Just for a heads up, where will the next date be?"

"I have no clue because I'm not helping him next time. Hibari needs to learn that he can't rely on other people when it comes to big decisions.

"That's mean."

"Well, he's not my ward. He's yours. My job is to train you, not your guardians. However, it is my job to train you to be able to handle your guardians."

"So everything that's happening has been your plan all along."

"Yes and no."

"What's that supposed to mean? Do you really mean to tell me that dating Hibari was part of a plan? Do you mean to tell me that my friends ganged up on me because this was all a part of the plan? Do you mean to tell me that my whole life is crumbing apart because I don't know what to do  _about anything_  because it's all a part of your plan?"

"Yes," Reborn smirked. Tsuna groaned.

"Then if all of that was a yes, what did the no mean?"

"Well Xanxus wasn't planned."

**BANG BANG**

Two gunshots just went off and it obviously wasn't Reborn.

" _He's here_?" Tsuna said through his teeth.

"I'm disappointed in you. I thought you would've known the sounds of gunshots by now."

"WHAT'S HE DOING HERE?"

"Beats me, but he's here. And as boss, you have to deal with him since he's also your ward... sort of. Good luck."

Reborn disappeared leaving Tsuna alone in his room. He didn't know what to do. It became very loud downstairs with a bunch of screaming and laughter. He didn't want to face the leader of the Varia. However, he also couldn't stay up in his room all day.

Tsuna grabbed a jacket and took a deep breath. He had to get out of the house. He didn't know where he was going to go, but he couldn't stay here. Tsuna took one more deep breath and left his room.

"Ushi shi shi, look who finally decided to show up," Bel said. Tsuna quickly walked past them and tried to get out the door.

"VOOOIII—where do you think you're going?" Squalo shouted. Tsuna looked behind him while putting on his shoes.

"Out."

Tsuna left as Squalo shouted after him to come back. He said something else but Tsuna didn't hear. Well, he did, Squalo was quite loud, but Tsuna chose not to listen.

Tsuna didn't know where he was going. School was closed and he wasn't about to break in. Hibari was defiantly out of the question. So were his friends. He had nowhere to go. So he ended up walking around town. He shivered in his jacket. It was cold outside.

"Boss?" a voice called out behind him. He knew who it was. Chrome. Tsuna turned around to greet her.

"Hi Chrome. How are you?" Tsuna asked politely. He didn't want to talk to her right now, but he also didn't want to be rude since, well when was a good excuse to be rude to anyone?

"I'm good boss. Thanks. How are you?" Tsuna noticed that Chrome was alone. He wondered where Mukuro and his gang where.

"Fine, I guess."

"Can I ask a question?" Chrome said. Tsuna was caught off guard.

"Um, yeah sure."

"Is it true that you're dating Hibari?"

"Uh—" Tsuna said slowly. "Well, how did you know about that?"

"So it's true?"

"Well why do you want to know?" Tsuna asked defensively.

"Mukuro wanted me to ask. He said he saw you with Hibari last night. He also said you kissed."

"We never kissed!" Tsuna whispered hastily. Some people looked over towards them.

"So it's true."

Tsuna groaned. He really didn't want Chrome to know.

"Well yes, but you can't tell anyone. And why does Mukuro want to know?"

"I don't know but he seemed upset."

"Why was he upset?" Tsuna asked reluctantly.

"I never know why he's upset most of the time. I don't think he knows that I know he cries sometimes."

"He's… crying? What happened?" Tsuna was very concerned, even though this was about the welfare of Mukuro.

"I don't know but he cried a lot. He was upset and told me to ask you about the date."

"That's weird."

"I know."

Tsuna sighed.

"Should I speak with him? Where is he?"

"You could go if you want, but I have some shopping to do. He's where he always is."

"Thanks Chrome. I'll go speak with him."

 


	4. Mistakes and Changes

Tsuna walked to Kokuyo Land by himself. It was getting cold and he was tired. He wished he would have done this another day. When he got there, the place looked the same as he last saw it. Tsuna regretted coming here alone. Mukuro could be dangerous at times and Tsuna wasn't sure if he could take him on right now. Plus, he was so unpredictable. Tsuna went inside anyways.

Mukuro wasn't hard to find. He was in the room where they first fought. He was lounging on the couch. He only looked half surprised to see Tsuna.

"Mukuro," Tsuna said.

"Ku fu fu, what brings the honor of having you here, young Vongola?" He sounded no different from any other time. Maybe Chrome lied. Tsuna just had to cut to the chase.

"I came to check on you," Tsuna replied. He tried to keep his composure, but he was nervous. All of this could turn sour. Tsuna thought about leaving quickly.

"Why that's hardly believable. I don't recall you ever doing that before," Mukuro said coolly and casually.

"Chrome said you were crying."

"Was not!" Mukuro whined like a kid. "She's lying!"

Mukuro stood up and crossed his arms. Tsuna shifted his footing, waiting for Mukuro to do something. He didn't expect him to react like that.

"She said you were and that you saw me last night with Hibari," Tsuna said slowly.

"Only that last part is true!" he cried out. "And was it a date last night? Be honest!"

"Why does that matter to you so much?" Tsuna asked quickly. He got defensive. He felt as if this was none of Mukuro's business. How dare he ask that.

Mukuro turned around to face the wall. Tsuna heard him sniff. It was obvious that Mukuro was upset but Tsuna didn't understand why.

"It doesn't matter to me. I just wanted to know why you were off late last night with  _that guy_  doing stuff."

"I don't think that's any of your business."

"What if," Mukuro said as he turned back to Tsuna, "just what if I want to make it my business."

"What do you mean by that?"

Mukuro looked down. He had a puzzled look on his face.

"What if I wanted to know because of  _other reasons_."

"I seriously don't know what that's supposed to mean."

"Yeah, I don't know either," Mukuro sighed. "Why don't you just go home?"

"I don't want to leave," Tsuna said. He wasn't going to let people boss him around right now.

"This is my house!" Mukuro bellowed.

"House?" Tsuna looked around. He doubted this place even had a working stove or a bed for that matter.

"I’m insulted, Tsunayoshi. Why don't you want to leave?"

"Because I want to know what's going on with you. I don't think Chrome would be the one to lie to me. Although I'm pretty sure she would lie for you if you pushed her hard enough. Are you sure you're ok Mukuro?"

Mukuro stared at Tsuna for the longest time.

"Imaybeinlovewithyou," Mukuro blurted out. Tsuna was sure he heard that correctly, but Tsuna wasn't sure if he could believe it.

"What?"

"I… love you," he repeated slowly. Tsuna blushed.

"What? I think you’re mistaken.

"What do you mean what?" Mukuro tried to laugh. This was déjà vu for Tsuna. He swore this was the exact same situation he had with Hibari over two weeks ago.

"You  _are_  dating Hibari, aren't you?" Mukuro wailed.

"Yes," Tsuna replied reluctantly. Mukuro sighed. "I'm sorry, but I am dating him."

"If you weren't dating Hibari, would you date me?"

"No. I don't know you. I don't know anything about you."

"If you did, would you?"

"I don't think so."

"Then why would you date him? What's so special about him? How is he any different than me?"

"There's nothing special about him. We're going out because…"

_Because I couldn't say no._

"Because why Tsuna," Mukuro pestered.

"Because I could  _say_  no!" he yelled.

Tsuna thought about what he said. He easily told Mukuro no, so why couldn't he tell Hibari no? Why was it easier to talk to Mukuro and not Hibari? He closed his eyes and thought of Hibari. He was a different person than how he originally knew him. He didn't want to upset him, but he also didn't want to date him. Either way, Tsuna had to do something. He was currently unhappy and his life had become too stressful for the time being. Even if he had forgotten his feelings for Kyoko, he had to do something about his feelings for Kyoya.

"So he's forcing you?"

Tsuna was brought back into reality. He looked at Mukuro.

"No. I forced myself to do something I didn't want to do," he said truthfully. "And I have to go. Sorry."

Mukuro said nothing as Tsuna left. Tsuna’s thoughts were jumbled but he felt like he should to talk to Hibari. The only problem was that Tsuna didn't have his phone number. He also didn't know his address. There was no way of contacting him today. And it was getting late. He would have to talk to him tomorrow and he had to get home now. It was getting cold outside.

"Where did they go?" Tsuna asked Reborn about the Varia when he got home. He took a spot at the table between Lambo and Futa.

"Back to their hotel, I presume. There isn't enough room here to harbor the entire Varia."

"Ha ha!" Lambo laughed as Tsuna overheard Lambo’s conversation with everyone else. "Lambo is the king of everything because Lambo is the best."

"That's not true," I-Pin argued. "You're not the best!"

"I am, I am. Lambo is the greatest. Lambo is the king of everyone."

Futa chuckled and Bianchi smiled. I-Pin huffed. Tsuna knew there was no arguing with Lambo's logic. However, I-Pin tried anyways. It was fun to watch while it lasted.

"So where did you go today, Tsuna?" Bianchi asked. "The kids were looking for you. They wanted to play."

"Oh, I'm sorry. I went out for a walk and I ended up talking to Mukuro," Tsuna said without thinking.

"Really?" Reborn sounded surprised.

"Yeah," he said slowly. "I ran into Chrome and she wanted me to talk to him."

"Wah ha! You should have taken me, Lambo, to help defend you!"

"We didn't fight," Tsuna reassured.

"What did you talk about?" Reborn asked. Tsuna stuffed his mouth with food to avoid answering the question. It would be too embarrassing to explain. Especially with his mom in ear shot. It didn't matter though, everyone was waiting an answer and whatever his answer would be would always be the wrong one. Reborn must have noticed Tsuna's uneasiness and quickly changed the subject. Tsuna knew he would have to answer to him later though.

 

* * *

 

"So what did Mukuro want?" Reborn asked again when they were alone. Tsuna eyed Reborn suspiciously but Reborn stared back curiously.

"Wait a second," Tsuna said, "wasn't Mukuro apart of your plan?"

"No."

"You didn’t know about any of this?"

"No. I didn't include him in my plans. I figured he would want some time to himself considering he currently has no obligations or duties to the Vongola. Besides, he's too much of a risk factor to include him."

Tsuna groaned.

"Oh great. So what he told me was true. Oh no."

"What did he say?" Reborn inquired. Tsuna was a bit reluctant to reply. But Reborn would figure it out eventually. So it was best to tell him now.

"That he loves me."

"Are you sure this wasn't a trick?" Reborn seemed skeptical as Tsuna did earlier. He saw the signs from Hibari; it was obvious that he loved Tsuna. But he never saw the signs from Mukuro. This was certainly unexpected.

"Yeah, Chrome said he was upset and I went to see what was wrong. And well, he told me. Are you sure this wasn't a part of your plan?"

"Yes, I sure," Reborn pushed.

"Well apparently, he's upset because he saw me with Hibari yesterday. He said we kissed but I swear we didn't."

"So he just confessed to you."

"Yeah. It was weird. He asked me if I wasn't dating Hibari if I would date him. I told him no. I can't believe I told him no."

"Well yes, that's the whole point of all this. It's to make you more confident and assertive as your position as boss."

"Wait. You never actually thought Hibari and I stay together. This was a game to get me to be a better person in the end?"

"Honestly, I thought it could go both ways. Either you continue dating him or you don't. You're decision. To be honest, though, I thought you would date him for a couple of months before actually making up your mind about him. You’re good at adapting to different situations."

"So it doesn't matter if we do break up or stay together?"

"No, it doesn't. Not to me at least. Either way, I refuse to you dating Mukuro  _if_  you end up breaking it with Hibari. Considering what he's done in the past, he's too unstable. Right now, we don't know his motives or if he has any at all."

"I wouldn't date him anyways, but thanks for your not blessing I guess. I've never thought about any of this."

Silence engulfed the two. The conversation was over, end of story. Tsuna got ready for bed and thought about tomorrow. He was going to break up with Hibari. He wondered how he would take the news. He didn't know how he would react since Tsuna never had to deal with this problem before. He hoped there would be no hard feelings.

"Tsuna, before I forget, I'm pulling you out of school tomorrow."

"Why?" Tsuna asked hastily.

"Well, since Xanxus is here, he's causing trouble. He needs to be dealt with before something bad happens that we can't fix."

"Do I have to?" he asked Reborn.

"Yes, you're the boss of Xanxus technically."

“I can't Reborn. I have to talk to Hibari tomorrow."

"Well then I don't see why you can't do both tomorrow. Deal with Hibari in the morning and Xanxus right after that," Reborn said.

"Ok then."

The morning came too fast for Tsuna. He was late for school, but he realized that he wouldn't be there for long anyways since he had other stuff to do. He got dressed lazily in normal clothes and walked to school. Reborn was nowhere in sight but Tsuna knew he was near.

"You're late," Hibari said harshly as Tsuna stepped foot on school grounds. "And you're not even uniform. I'll bite you to death."

"Wait wait wait wait wait!" Tsuna pleaded as he barely dodged Hibari's tonfas. "I have something important to tell you!"

Hibari stopped and waited for Tsuna. Tsuna took a big deep breath and tried to look at Hibari in the eyes.

"I'm sorry," Tsuna couldn't help saying. "I don't think we can continue."

"What do you mean?" he asked suspiciously.

"I mean, I'm not sure we can continue... dating."

Hibari looked shocked but not surprised. Tsuna instantly had regret.

"Why?" Hibari asked. Tsuna found it hard to speak. He told himself many times before that he wasn't in love with Hibari. And that Hibari isn't human enough to actually love. And that Hibari would probably be abusive and hurtful and uncaring and... and yet none of those things proved to be true.Tsuna looked away shamefully.

"Do you even have a reason?" Hibari growled. "Fine. I thought I could trust you. But I get it. You never really liked me."

"I'm sorry," Tsuna said.

"Hn. I'm sorry for wasting your time too."

Hibari turned around and walked toward the school. He didn't know what he expected. Hibari’s words stung a little.

"Well that wasn't too bad. Come along Tsuna. We still need to see Xanxus," Reborn said as he appeared.

"Can I have a minute?" Tsuna said with a sigh.

"Why?" Reborn asked. "It's not as if you actually like him. You shouldn't be taking this too hard."

"I know but..." Words were failing Tsuna. "It's not like I loved him, but I feel like a piece of shit."

Reborn smirked. Tsuna and Reborn walked away from the school.

"Why am I so upset?" Tsuna asked rhetorically.

"Possibly because you consider him your friend and you hurt his feelings. Or…"

"Or what?" Tsuna questioned. He looked towards Reborn who had a somber face.

"Or possibly because you were actually in love with him."

"N-no way! I didn't actually like him like that, I think."

"How do you know? You never gave him a chance."

Tsuna stumbled a bit on the sidewalk. The glanced back and saw the nothingness that he tripped on.

"A chance? How was I supposed to give him a chance? He's scary. And ruthless!"

"Yes, but he set aside those things for you. He made a small sacrifice for you, but you clearly did nothing."

"Whose side are you on?" Tsuna frowned.

"I play for no team," Reborn smirked.

Tsuna groaned.

"What should I do? It sounds like he'll never talk to me again, let alone trust me."

"Well, he'll have to trust you. You're his boss. Don't forget that. Do whatever you like with him. At this point in time, he's no concern of mine. If he wants to be reclusive and disgruntled all the time, then let him be."

"But everyone needs a friend right?"

"Hibari wasn't looking for a friend."

"So what should I do?"

"Again, I don't care. He's your subordinate. Although, if you want advice, I would advise you to get over to Xanxus. I told him you were coming and he doesn't like it when he has to wait on other people."

Tsuna stopped walking and stared at Reborn intently. Tsuna didn't want to meet Xanxus right now, but Reborn made it clear that he would have to. Tsuna thought for a bit before speaking.

"Well he'll have to wait on me. I'm his boss."

Reborn smirked.

"Now you're getting it."


	5. True Feelings

"Are you alright, Hibari?" Kusakabe asked. He noticed him acting weird after coming in from patrolling the schoolyard. Disciplining other students usually put him a better mood, although Hibari was rarely ever seen with a "good mood." Today Hibari wasn't in a bad mood or a good mood. He seemed upset. It was odd but certainly not the first time he experienced this.

Hibari waved Kusakabe away. He complied knowing that Hibari wanted to be alone. He knew Hibari like the back of his hand, but he wouldn't consider themselves as friends. They had a mutual understanding of each other.

Hibari was glad they had a mutual understanding. Hibari didn't feel like speaking right now. He was upset. In the back of his mind, he should have known better than to trust Tsuna. He so rarely trusted anyone anyways. Tsuna had lied to him. Now it was just time to sort out his emotions.

A sharp knock came from the door. All of the teachers were teaching and all the disciplinary officers were disciplining. He wondered who dared to disturbed him.

"Come in," Hibari said irritated at whoever it might be. He groaned inwardly. "I'm surprised you’re civilized enough to knock."

"Ku fu fu, I do have manners," Mukuro retorted. "Maybe a little more so than you."

Hibari was already standing, ready to fight. He didn't want to make the first move, but his skin was itching to. Mukuro stood still. He looked as if he had no intention of fighting.

"As I would love to fight you right now, I'd rather talk. You do know how to do that right?"

Hibari didn't relax. He eyed Mukuro suspiciously. There was no way he came here just to talk. People like him don't just get together and talk.

"Yes, but I doubt you could keep up with me. From a lack of education, I doubt you would know any big words or how to even hold a complete thought."

"Ku fu fu fu, maybe, maybe not. You know nothing of me."

"Same, Rokudo. What do you want? I doubt we have anything in common interests."

"Oh but we do," Mukuro said as he stepped forward. Hibari tensed.

"And what would that be?"

Mukuro plopped onto the couch and set his feet on the coffee table. Hibari grimaced but waited in anticipation for Mukuro’s answer.

"Tsunayoshi Sawada."

Hibari lowered his tonfas. He wasn't stupid; he saw Mukuro at the festival knowing Tsuna didn't. He wasn’t dumb, he could put two and two together. He didn't like the fact that Mukuro liked Tsuna. Even though Tsuna was single now, Hibari didn't want Mukuro dating him, so he didn't tell him that they already broke up.

"Why do you like him?" Hibari asked.

"Why do you?"

"Don't answer my question with another question, Rokudo! Were you thinking of asking him out? Have you come for my blessing? Because I doubt you're that kind of gentleman."

"I already asked him out," Mukuro said casually as he looked with intentions of destruction.

"You have? What did he say?" Hibari asked angrily.

"He told me he was dating you. Although," Mukuro mused, "he actually told me he's only dating you because he felt like he had to."

Mukuro's words only brought resentment. He didn't want to be reminded. It's not like he wanted him to feel forced. He tried to calm down and not hit Mukuro. That would be bad in a school full of students. Maybe if he pulled the fire alarm he could evacuate the students then fight him. However, the closest one was in the hallway and he would have to go through Mukuro before he could reach it. And that might be a cowardly thing to do.

"Our personal affairs are no matter to you. And I doubt you're here being a good citizen by telling me he felt forced. Besides, he already told me that.”

"Oh? Well, I'm here to convince you to break up with him, one way or another," Mukuro said as he summoned his trident while still sitting on the couch.

"What makes you think you're more qualified to be his boyfriend?"

"Well, considering we are literally two of a kind, certainly one of us must be better than the other."

"I am better than you. You always tell him that you're going to possess him whenever you're alone with him. There's no way he could trust you alone."

"So that's worse as opposed to you  _biting him to death_?” Mukuro crudely laughed. “You're quite the violent person. In fact, I remember you beating him up on several occasions."

"You would cause nothing but trouble in his life," he said.

"So would you."

"You could never give him what he truly wants like a home and things to put in a home."

"Neither could you," Mukuro shot back. "You're too violent for nice things."

"You're a criminal."

"And I supposed you're not? You've done bad stuff, just like me. The only difference is that you appear as an authority figure and people are too afraid to stand up to you. Just like Tsuna is afraid."

Mukuro was right; they were practically the same. He didn't want to be like Mukuro though. That thought scared him.

"At least I have a family."

"So do I. I have Chrome, MM, Ken—"

“I'm talking about a mother and a father and two brothers. Actual people who have your back when you're away. Family that always backs each other up. A place where Tsuna could go when I'm gone for a short while."

Mukuro stood up slowly and licked his lips. “Blood of the covenant is thicker than water of the womb. And this is all good in games, but this is reality," Mukuro said as he raised his trident. "You can't distract me from my main goal. I want Tsunayoshi and you're the only person who stands in my way."

Hibari raised his tonfas back up.

"I don't care what happens at this point. I won't let you have him, even if you beat me, which I doubt you will."

"I beat you the first time, what makes you think you can beat me now?"

Hibari stepped out from behind the desk.

"Because you're in my territory."

 

* * *

 

"What floor is Xanxus on?" Tsuna asked Reborn.

"They should be on the top floor. That's the floor that has all of the luxurious suites," Reborn replied.

Tsuna and Reborn stepped onto the elevator and Tsuna pressed the button to the top floor. He wasn't nervous, kind of. He wasn't his usual nervous wreck self, but he wasn't entirely calm. He hoped that things with Xanxus would work out better than they did with Hibari. Xanxus would definitely try to fight him. The elevator pinged and they both got out.

"What room?" Tsuna asked.

Reborn pointed to a door that had numerous trays outside the door. The trays were full of food that only had one bite taken out of it. Part of the door was also spray painted for some reason. It looked like a half attempt "V" and a smiley face. As Tsuna got a little closer, he realized it wasn't spray paint but didn’t question any further.

"I should have guessed," Tsuna said.

Tsuna knocked on the only part of the door that was clean. He waited and heard loud voices from the other side. He also heard stomping towards the door. He held his breath.

"VOOOOIIII!" Squalo yelled as he threw the door open. "Oh, it's you! What the hell do you want!"

"Let me in. I'm here to see Xanxus," Tsuna said as calmly as he could.

"WHY SHOULD I LET YOU, YOU LITTLE BRAT!" he screamed.

"I said step aside, or else," Tsuna demanded.

Squalo didn't move so he weaseled his way past him. Times like this made Tsuna glad that he was small enough to do that. He walked over to Xanxus who sat in his luxurious chair in the middle of the room. The rest of the Varia glanced at him, but continued what they were doing anyways.

"VOI! DON'T IGNORE ME!"

"What do you want, trash?" Xanxus said angrily as he threw a glass of red wine at Squalo.

"I want you to stop causing trouble or leave town." Tsuna didn't sound as confident as he did with Squalo. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and stared at Tsuna. Someone even  _ooh_ ed.

"Are you threatening me!" Xanxus shouted as he got furious. It didn't sound like a question though.

"No," Tsuna replied. He thought for a second. "I'm commanding you. You're causing too much trouble which is costing the Vongola money. And besides, I'm tired of you always showing up to cause trouble."

Xanxus pulled out his guns and pointed them at Tsuna. He jumped a little, but he didn't flinch away. He heard Bel laugh at him for jumping.

"So it's a fight you're looking for," Xanxus laughed. He stood up and Tsuna realized immediately how much taller Xanxus was. He suddenly wasn't confident about bossing Xanxus around anymore. He wondered which was worse, punishment from Reborn or a fight with Xanxus.

"I don't want to fight," Tsuna hastily said. Everyone except Reborn laughed at Tsuna. Tsuna mildly blushed.

"Ushi shi shi, he's a coward!" Bel said. "Show him who's boss, boss."

"I'm not going to fight to tell you to stop causing trouble. I'm flat out telling you. Stop causing trouble."

"And what if I won't listen?" Xanxus asked still pointing his guns at Tsuna.

Tsuna hadn't thought about that. He didn't know what he would do if Xanxus wouldn't listen. Reborn also didn't say anything about that. Maybe he would have to fight him. He really regretted coming. He was about to apologize to Xanxus for coming here when Reborn spoke.

"He'll have to take you off the expense reports then."

Mammon gasped and accidentally spilt tea on the money he was counting. He frantically hurried to clean it up.

"He has no authority!" Squalo screeched. "Only the old man does!"

Tsuna didn't know if he did have any authority to do that, but he played along anyways.

"Do you really want to test that?" he said. Xanxus glared at Tsuna and Tsuna stared right back at him. He did his best to hold his ground, but he did shift uncontrollably. He didn't know what he would do if Xanxus attacked him.

"Either leave or behave," Tsuna finally spoke. Reborn motioned him towards the door. Tsuna wanted to say one more thing, but the look on Reborn's face told him not to. They took their leave and nobody spoke a word. As Tsuna closed the door behind him, the shouting resumed from behind the door. He wondered if the Varia truly listened to him. He hoped that he wouldn't have to come back.

"All will be fine," Reborn said once they were on the elevator. "Don't worry about it."

"Nothing feels alright," Tsuna said gloomy.

"Are you still hung up on Hibari?"

"Yeah, kind of."

"Well chin up, Tsuna," Reborn said as he checked his phone. "I can't have a gloomy student. It would look bad on my part."

"I'm glad you're concerned about yourself," Tsuna snapped back. Reborn hit him with Leon as a hammer. Tsuna rubbed his head out of pain and stood up.

"Stop being useless, Tsuna."

The elevator pinged and they got out.

"Well what should I do now?"

"Perhaps you want to go to the school," Reborn told him. Tsuna gave him a puzzling look. "My sources tell me that the fire alarm was pulled after part of the building collapsed."

"WHAT?" Tsuna yelled. "IS ANYONE HURT?"

"I don't know."

"We have to get there right away," Tsuna said before he started running towards the school. Reborn didn't follow. He hailed a cab and went by car. He smirked. He actually didn't tell the truth to Tsuna. In the text, it said that everyone was out safely because the fire alarm had been pulled. If it hadn't then there probably would have been casualties. However, he supposed it would do some good for Tsuna to be worried about his friends for now to get his mind off the skylark.

 

* * *

 

A couple of days later, Tsuna was still out of school. It is unknown (at least to the students) what had caused part of the middle school to collapse, but the students had been excused for a week so that Namimori Middle could be fixed. The teachers gave the students a lot of homework though to work on while they were out of school. Xanxus also apparently left without causing anymore trouble. It made Tsuna glad because that meant he wouldn't have to deal with him anymore.

Tsuna, Gokudera, Yamamoto, and occasionally Enma spent their free time hanging out with each other. Tsuna neglected his homework while he had fun with his friends, but it didn't make him feel any better than when he broke up with Hibari.

Today, he told his friends that he wanted to work on his homework so they would leave him alone. They did and Tsuna tried to take the opportunity to work on homework but then started daydreaming instead.

"What useless thoughts are you thinking about now?" Reborn asked him when he entered the room. Tsuna looked at him, shrugged, and looked away.

"Don't tell me you're still hung up about him," Reborn said. Tsuna shrugged again. "It's been days since that happened. How long does it take for you to get over him?"

"I don't know," Tsuna said. "I think I still like him."

"Then you shouldn't have broken up with him," Reborn retorted.

"I know that!" Tsuna groaned. "I don't know what I was thinking."

"Then why don't you go talk with him."

"I don't think he'll listen to me."

"You won't ever know until you try. Now you either go or I will make you go."

"I don't know where he lives," Tsuna said, not really wanting to go.

"I do. I'll get you a cab and his address. Take a chance Tsuna. That's what being a boss is all about. If you don't take chances or risks, then you'll be wiped out of the mafia world. Simple as that."

"Well what if I want to get back together with him?"

"Do you? Because it wouldn't be the end of the world if you did."

"Yeah, I think I do."

"Well then go get him Juliet," Reborn mocked.

"Wait why am I Juliet? How come I'm not Romeo?" he exclaimed.

"I think that's pretty obvious Tsuna. You certainly wouldn't be topping in that relationship, not even in your wildest dreams," Reborn laughed.

Tsuna blushed deeply and looked down.

"Oh, come on Tsuna. Don't tell me that you never thought about sex with Hibari. Every couple eventually does it unless they're asexual. And let's face it. You're not. You have too many wet dreams to be asexual."

"Please stop talking," Tsuna said blushing more. "I really don't want to talk about this."

"Why? It's only natural that boys your age—"

"Ok! Ok! I get it! Please stop!" Tsuna begged. "I'll go visit Hibari now!"

Reborn smirked and called a cab for Tsuna. He handed Tsuna the address and some cash for the cabbie. Throughout the whole car ride, Tsuna panicked. He tried to plan out what he was going to say to Hibari. This wasn't going to be like last time, he wanted to make sure that he said what he meant, not the first thing that came to him mind.

"We're here kid," the cabbie said as he pulled to a stop. Tsuna looked outside the window.

This couldn't be right.


	6. Together Again

Tsuna didn't think the cabbie pulled up to the right place. He pulled up in front of this shabby almost rundown house. The roof needed to be replaced, the paint was peeling, and some of the windows were cracked. The two story house looked in the worse shape of its life. There was no way Hibari lived here.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Tsuna asked in disbelief. This didn't look like a place Hibari would have liked to live in, but maybe that's why he always seems so disgruntled. He didn't _want_ to live here.

"This is the address," the cabbie said as he handed the slip of paper back to Tsuna. He was right. They were at the right address. He handed the cabbie his money and stepped out of the car. The cabbie sped off leaving Tsuna stranded. Was Hibari too ashamed or too proud to tell Tsuna that he lived here?

Tsuna walked up to the door and knocked. A man too young to be Kyoya's father opened the door. He had some features of Kyoya, but he definitely wasn't the brother at the festival. He must be another brother. He had a lazy appearance as he leaned against the door frame.

"Who are you and what do you want?" he said angrily, but not to the extent that Hibari could say angrily.

"My name is Tsunayoshi," he said unsure. "I'm looking for Kyoya."

The man stopped chewing his gum for a second before resuming at a much faster pace. He also stood up a little straighter.

"You're that boy. I see," he said. "He's not here."

"Oh."  

Tsuna was about to leave when a warm rush rolled over him. He could feel his hair prickle and he knew that his hyper tuition was speaking to him.

"Please don't lie to me," Tsuna told him. "I know he's here."

"Even if he was here, I'm not sure he would want to speak with you. Why don't you go home kid."

"Please, I really want to talk with him."

"Who's at the door?" yelled a much older male voice from inside the house.

"Nobody," the man at the door shouted back. He shut the door without another thought. Tsuna let him shut it, but this wasn't over. He wasn't going to leave until he talked with Kyoya. Tsuna backed up several steps from the door.

"KYOYA!" Tsuna shouted at the house. He hoped he heard him, which he figured he would have since he yelled very loudly and Kyoya always seemed to have sensitive hearing. Nothing happened so Tsuna sucked in another breath to shout again, but the door opened before he could.

"Herbivore!" Kyoya growled as he opened the door with his tonfas. "Do you have a death wish?"

Tsuna stepped back in front of the door.

"I just want to talk with you."

"Oh? I do not want to talk with you. Go. Away."

Hibari stepped back and went to slam the door shut. Tsuna lunged forward and mean to put his foot in the door to stop it from closing. Unfortunately, his hand reached to door first.

"FUCK!" Tsuna screamed.

"How fucking stupid are you?" Hibari shouted as he opened the door.

"I don’t know!" Tsuna said. “I still like you.”

Hibari stood there with his mouth open speechless while he looked at Tsuna's fingers.

"I think your fingers are broken."

"Huh?" Tsuna looked down at this fingers. They looked fine to him.

"I'm not going to take you to the hospital," Kyoya stated.

"Kyoya, please. I still like you. And yes, I really didn't at first, but then I got to know you, kind of. My feelings changed and I didn't expect that and I was afraid. I'm sorry. I really am. I want to give us a second chance. But this time I would be honest and truthful and sincere. Please."

"You're fingers are getting swollen," Hibari said in a daze. Tsuna half smiled.

"It really may be stupid to say because we don't know the future or where we'll end up, but I want to be with you."

"Let me get some helmets and my keys. I think you need to go to the hospital."

Tsuna looked down to his very swollen black and blue fingers. Wow, they looked terrible. Tsuna looked back up. Kyoya was gone. The Hibari household was very tidy even though there wasn't a lot of stuff in it. It was very small and filled with mix matched furniture. He could see the kitchen table from the front door. The brother from the festival was sitting at the table eating an apple and snickering at him.

Hibari came back into view and strapped a helmet on Tsuna. He closed the door behind him and led Tsuna to his motorcycle. He put his own helmet on and helped Tsuna onto the bike while trying to make sure he didn't touch his fingers. Tsuna swore his fingers didn't hurt. It was a while before someone said something.

"The closest hospital is in Namimori," Hibari told him over the roar of the bike.

"Kyoya, how come you never talked about your family?"

"Stop."

"I just want to know," Tsuna said. "It's not because you're ashamed is it?"

"Shut it."

"There's no reason to be ashamed. I'm understanding of where people come from. I mean, I don't think—"

"Tsunayoshi, I will throw you off this bike if you don't stop," Hibari said cold-heartedly.

Nothing else was spoken on the bike ride to the hospital. When they got there, Hibari stayed in the emergency room with Tsuna while he waited to be called on. A nurse gave Tsuna a pack of ice while he waited.

"If you're not ashamed, then what is it?"

Hibari didn't respond and looked away. Tsuna stared at the side of Hibari's head before looking away also. He tried to keep the ice on his fingers, but it was really cold. There were several other people in the ER. Someone was actually bleeding while some looked deathly sick. Tsuna looked back to Hibari.

"Please talk to me."

He looked to Tsuna but he still didn't say anything. A nurse called Tsuna and he left Hibari behind in the waiting room. He didn't know if Hibari would be there when he came back. He hoped he would.

Somewhere along the line, Reborn and Nana were called and they came to the hospital. Nana fussed over Tsuna while Reborn stayed silent. Reborn said that Hibari left. Tsuna was upset over that. He still wanted to talk to Hibari, but now it seemed as if his chance was really gone.

Tsuna had broken his index finger and his middle finger. The doctor had to put a cast over them to let them heal properly. They prescribed pain medication, but Tsuna didn't feel like he needed it. Despite all the time that has passed, his fingers still didn't hurt.

"That's the way of the boss," Reborn told him. "Hiding your pain to let others feel more at ease with the situation."

"But my fingers really don't hurt," Tsuna said back. "They really don't."

Reborn eyes him suspiciously, but let it go. Whether or not if Tsuna could feel his fingers weren't a concern right now. He was rather mad at Tsuna for breaking his fingers in the first place.

When they finally got home, Tsuna was exhausted. Reborn decided to leave Tsuna alone and go see what the other Arcobalenos were doing while they were in town. Nana quickly resumed cooking. Tsuna headed up to his room slowly, bummed out that he couldn't talk to Hibari. Tsuna opened his door and nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Kyoya?" Tsuna murmured. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm not sure," he said.

"How long have you been here?" Tsuna asked. He really wanted to ask why he decided to come back.

"Not long," Kyoya shrugged. "I walked over here after I drove home."

"That's a long way," Tsuna commented.

"Yes," he said slowly. "But it helped me clear my mind."

Kyoya looked up at Tsuna. He stared at him like he did on their first date. The look in his eyes had no anger. It was a look of peacefulness and a longing for something.

"I still love you too."

Tsuna closed the door behind him and sat on the bed next to Kyoya. He could feel his heart beat a little faster. He didn't look at Hibari though. He didn't want him to see his blush, even though Tsuna was sure he could see it anyways.

"I also came back to talk about other things though," Hibari said. "It's mainly about my family and what you said at the hospital."

Tsuna raised his head to look at him.

"You were right. I am ashamed of my family. Sometimes, well, most of the time, I get angry that my family doesn’t have nice things. I get angry that I don't have normal brothers or a normal father or a normal mother. I know I shouldn't be ashamed. And maybe I'm actually not. I'm just not happy with my life. I wish I had more. I wish my family could offer more."

Hibari spoke in a whisper that it was almost inaudible at the end. Tsuna looked at him sympathetically.

"Remember how I told you that I got into some trouble and my parents eventually sent me to Namimori?"

Tsuna nodded.

"Well a couple of years ago, at my old school, I got teased a lot and I hated it. I actually wasn't this violent years ago but one day I snapped at this kid. I started hitting him and hitting and hitting and hitting…"

Hibari paused. Tsuna moved a little closer to him. His hand was very close to Hibari's.

"He ended up in the hospital. And I wasn't sorry for what I did. Beating him up made me feel better. They made me go to therapy but when that didn't work, the school didn't want me back with the other students. So my parents put me in the next closest school because they didn't want me to stop going to school like one of my brothers did."

"You weren't always driving your motorcycle though. How did you get over to Namimori?"

"For a long time my oldest brother got up very early in the mornings with me and we both rode busses until we reached here. And uh… that motorcycle isn't exactly mine either."

"What do you mean? Whose is it?"

"I don't know. I found it," he said.

"You stole it?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." Hibari didn't seemed too concerned over that fact. "Nobody has reported it stolen and I've had it for quite some time. If they haven't come for it now then I just assume they don't want it back, hence it is now mine."

Tsuna laughed. Now this seemed like the Hibari he knew.

"What do you mean your family isn't normal?" Tsuna asked after he stopped laughing. Hibari gave him a look. Tsuna nodded and didn't push any further.

"So was your family always poor?"

Hibari shot him another look.

"That came out wrong. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it like that."

"For as long as I could remember. We didn't always live in a house though. I like it there better than our last place because at least I have my own room."

"This is hardly believable," Tsuna breathed.

"Why?"

"A month ago, you were this scary, unbelievable, unapproachable person. And you actually didn't seem like a person. More like a killing machine. Nobody wanted to around you. Nobody wanted to be your friend."

"I made sure of that. When I moved here I thought to myself that I didn't want any friends. I didn't want them and I didn't need them."

"So I'm guessing you didn't have to many friends at your old school?"

"Friends that didn't matter. Back stabbers. But nobody messes with me now."

"Do you still hate your life?" Tsuna asked.

"I've found things to make it worthwhile."

They shared a moment of silence after that.

"I'm glad you came," Tsuna told him.

"I'm glad too."

Their faces were close to each other. Tsuna blushed and looked away. He became nervous at this now intimate mood. He liked Hibari very much, but he didn't to get too intimate with him.

"I should get going," Hibari said as he stood up. Tsuna nodded, then realized that Hibari came on foot.

"How will you get home?"

"I'll walk," he stated.

Tsuna and Hibari walked downstairs. Nobody besides Nana was home at the moment and Tsuna was a little grateful for that. He walked Hibari to the door.

"So wait Hibari," Tsuna said before Hibari left. "Does this make us…"

"Does it make us what?"

"Are we dating again?"

Hibari looked away and thought for a couple of seconds. He nodded when he looked back at Tsuna.

"Yes, but this next time, let us be truthful. No secrets, no lies, and no smoking."

Tsuna cracked a big smile at that. He was a terrible liar, but more importantly, he was glad that Hibari wasn't dumb enough to fall for that. Hibari leaned forward and kissed him on his cheek. Tsuna blushed madly and Hibari walked away. Tsuna closed the door and smiled.

"Tsuna," his mother called from in the kitchen.

"Yeah mom," he replied as he walked over to her, still gazed from the kiss.

"Did your boyfriend leave? Why didn't you ask him to stay for dinner?"

"You knew?!" Tsuna shouted. He couldn't believe it. Moreover, he couldn't believe that she was accepting.

"Oh of course. I'm your mother. I could tell that you were in love and you certainly weren't bring home any cute girls."

Tsuna blushed out of embarrassment. His face felt really hot from all the blushing he was doing today.

"Ah, I'm was a bit upset that you wouldn't be bringing home any grandchildren, but then Reborn explained your plans."

"My plans?"

"Yes, the surrogate pregnancy. He told me all about it. Tsuna, I'm so proud of you for doing your research to make sure that this family won't go heirless."

Tsuna nodded out of disbelief. Reborn was such a strange person. He was glad that things were alright here at home. But oh no. Tsuna never even thought about his friends. How _was_ he supposed to explain this to his friends? He would have to tell them tomorrow no matter what.

But how?


	7. Back to Square One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Special shout out to Orithyea from FF for pointing out and helping me with some mistakes in this chapter.

Tsuna had a hard time falling asleep since he was worried the following day. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to tell his friends that he was dating Hibari. He supposed that he would have to tell them that he was gay first. How would everyone and Kyoko react? He felt like shit. Tsuna eventually fell asleep, but only for a couple of hours. Someone slamming the door to his room woke him up. He tiredly looked over towards the door.

"Get up, useless Tsuna," Reborn said as he walked in. He sounded tired. Tsuna sat up in bed but didn't get up.

"Are you…" Tsuna said slowly, "wearing a… party hat?"

"Am I? I can't remember. I'm sleepy."

Tsuna stared with his mouth open. Reborn was standing in the middle of his room and in place of a fedora was a colorful party hat. Some confetti rested on his shoulder and on top of Leon. Except, when Tsuna looked a little closer, he realized it wasn't Leon. It was a stuffed chameleon.

"Where were you?" Tsuna shouted. "And where's Leon?"

Reborn looked at him as if he was stupid. The look made Tsuna feel like he was stupid.

"He's right here, duh," he said pointing to the stuffed animal. "Colonnello had a surprise bachelor party. It got pretty crazy. The police were called twice. It was weird, yet awesome."

"So you went out and partied?" Tsuna said slowly. "Wow."

"Why? What's with that tone?" Reborn barked back.

"Nothing. This doesn't seem like you. You don't seem like a party animal," Tsuna reassured. "So does that mean the wedding's back on? Are Lal and Colonnello going to get married?"

"I know how to party Tsuna. Don't you worry. And I don't know about that. I haven't heard of any word of a wedding, although I never heard anything about this party. I'm not complaining though, it was fun. Did anything interesting happen while I was away?"

"Hibari and I got back together!" Tsuna said cheerfully. He threw his arms up in the air to emphasize how happy he was, but winced in pain. He almost forgot about his broken fingers. They actually hurt today.

"Yah," he said apathetically. He set down the fake Leon and took off his party hat. "Anything more interesting than that?"

"No," he replied slowly. "Why isn't that surprising to you? Why aren't you happy?"

Reborn slowly got ready for bed as he ignored Tsuna's question. Reborn knew they would eventually get back together. After all, they're both idiot teenagers in love. Reborn was more interested in how long they would last. Tsuna wasn't actually in love. He developed some kind of pity crush on Hibari whereas Hibari only started liking Tsuna because he was a helpless person. Tsuna was a person that Hibari could protect. He wondered how Hibari would react in seeing Tsuna's new independent personality. This would be interesting.

"So what are you going to do today?" Reborn asked as he hopped into bed. Tsuna was already out of bed getting dressed. He chose to ignore that Reborn ignored his question.

"Well, I figured it was time I told my friends the truth. They have a right to know—" Tsuna looked up at Reborn and saw that he was already fast asleep. "What's the point of asking me questions when you're just going to fall asleep once I say it?"

Tsuna sighed and went downstairs when he finally dressed. Everyone was already at the table and Nana was almost finished cooking. The food smelled delicious and he couldn't wait to eat. He wasn't too terribly hungry, but food sounded really good right now.

"Sit by Lambo! Sit by Lambo!" Lambo yelled at Tsuna once he spotted him.

"Ok! Ok!" he told him. "Calm down and don't stand on the chair. You'll get hurt."

Lambo sat down once Tsuna did but he didn't calm down. He was very hyperactive this morning.

"Where's Reborn, Tsuna?" asked Bianchi. She had a menacing look upon her face. Tsuna became frightened under her stare. He wasn't sure what was really going on.

"Up-upstairs sleeping," he stuttered.

"And why is that?" She said angrily.

"Well he went out last night," he said as he shrunk in his seat.

His answer was the wrong answer. Bianchi became furious. Once Nana set down the food on the table, it all turned into poison cooking.

"Oh no," said Nana. "I'll have to start all over."

As she turned away, Bianchi picked up the food, ready to throw it at Tsuna. He shrunk in his seat while the kids backed away.

"Why did he go out?" Her voice sounded demonic and Tsuna wasn't sure that any answer would be the right answer at this point. Figuring nothing would please her at the moment and not wanting to get hit with poison cooking, Tsuna bolted out the front door with Bianchi right behind him. He quickly grabbed his shoes.

"Oomph!" he said as he crashed into Enma. Crashing into him made his arm hurt. He wished he took something for it.

"What's going on?" Enma asked groggily as he clutched his head.

"No time!" Tsuna asked as he forced Enma to his feet. "Let's get out of here."

"Get back here!" she yelled. She didn't follow them.

Tsuna and Enma ran off and didn't stop until they got to the bridge. Enma panted and fell over onto the grass. Tsuna tried to sit down but also fell next to Emma.

"What's going on?" Enma panted. "And why is your arm in a cast?"

"I broke it yesterday," he also panted. "It got caught in a door. Stupid huh?"

"Oh. I've done that before."

Tsuna laughed then coughed because his lungs hurt.

"I made Bianchi mad. I don't know what's really going on but I think Reborn ditched her last night. She was so mad. Just forget about it. I'm glad I ran into you though."

"Really?" he replied happily as he grinned. Tsuna sat up and nodded.

"Now I just need to find the others."

"Oh," he said sadly. "Why is that?"

"I want to tell everyone something important," Tsuna told him. The more he thought about it though, the more he realized that everyone literally meant everyone. "I have something to say, but I wanna say it to my close friends first."

Enma sat up and looked eager to know.

"What is it?"

"Just something important," Tsuna said. "But I want all my close friends here so I can say it all at once."

"But you can tell me anything." Enma pushed. Tsuna gave him an odd look. "Well I mean we're best friends. But not like we're more best friends then your other best friends. I didn't mean it like that but I mean... Well what I mean to say is that you could probably tell me first and so at least you would know how to break the news whatever the news is to your other best friends. Because I mean they're probably sleeping in or something."

"I'm sure Gokudera is up right now. In fact, he's probably out looking for me right now or something. He's probably wondering where I am. Yamamoto might be sleeping, but maybe he got up to play some baseball. I don't know. I do know that Ryohei is up though. He always goes for morning jogs. Come on," he said as he stood up. "Let's go find everyone."

He stretched out his hand for Enma to take but Enma just sat there with his knees pulled to his chest.

"What's the matter Enma?"

"I was kind of hoping that we could hang out together without the others," he replied gloomily.

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Well because it's just that it's been a long time since we have and I won't be here forever."

"What do you mean?" said Tsuna frightened by his words.

Enma looked up at him as he chewed on his bottom lip. Tsuna became very worried.

"Aren't I just a temporary transfer student?"

Tsuna nodded sadly. He forgot about that. Enma was only supposed to be here for a while until the island was deemed safe. It's been a long time since when Enma first arrived.

"But wait, we nearly blew half the island away!" he said as he remembered his battle with Daemon Spade.

"Yeah but a lot of it is being rebuilt. Even though most of it is still in shambles, a lot of people take pride in the island. Many people are building the school and the church and the town hall and their homes. It's only a matter of time before I have to go back with the others."

"Then we'll fight it," Tsuna said. "We'll find a way for you and your guardians to stay here, here at Namimori."

"But then what happens when we turn 18?" he said as he shook his head.

"What do you mean?" He asked as he sat down next to Enma.

"Well there'll be no doubt that Reborn will make you go to college. And that will probably be in Italy. Some place close to the original head quarters. And even after college you'll be busy with the Vongola being boss and all. Being the tenth."

"Well actually, I'm going to be the New First."

"Eh, that sounds lame no offense."

"I know but it wasn't my idea."

"Anyways you're going to busy with your life. I'm going to have to go back to the island. There's no way I can go overseas to college and at this point, I doubt I'll get to go to any college with my kind of grades. Besides that, I'll be busy with my mafia. But it won't be like yours. We don't have any old money or anything. Just like our founder, I'll have to start from the ground up. Although at this point, I don't know if I want to continue on the legacy."

Tsuna and Enma sat in silence. Everything Enma said had truth behind it. They were best friends but that didn't mean he would stay here forever. Tsuna didn't like that.

"Well I don't know if I'll get into a college either. I have bad grades too. Remember?"

Enma gave him a sour look.

"But you have Reborn. He could easily get you into anywhere with his kind of power and money."

"Then let's makes a difference!"

"Huh?"

"Let's study together, just you and me."

"I don't think that would be a good idea," Enma said.

"Why not? If we work hard together then we'll surely get it. I never understand it when Gokudera explains it to me because I think he just naturally understands everything. But if we study together then we'll surely come to understand it!"

"Two wrongs don't make a right."

"Yeah but we're both stupid enough that surely we can teach each other in our own stupid ways. Enma we think alike. We're just both useless! It could work. We won't know until we try!"

"Yeah but what about when I move? How does that help us?"

Enma was very melancholic about the whole situation. He really doubted his friend's proposition. All he wanted to do was just hang out before he had to leave.

"You said it yourself! Reborn can do anything with his kind of power and money. All we have to do is get Reborn to sign a few things here and there then you can stay here with your guardians! And then we'll study. We study, get good grades, then get scholarships and then go to some fancy college in Italy where we can both be together! With you in Italy with me we can both make appearances at...stuff or whatever and then the Shimon family will be known by association and eventually you'll rise up to be at the top with the Vongola!"

Enma looked away. It was apparent that he didn't believe Tsuna. It was just too good to be true.

"Come on Enma. What do we have to lose besides our friendship. It may seem impossible but we can do this if we do it together."

"You've changed Tsuna."

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't be. I kinda like the new you. I just don't know if any of this would work." He looked at Tsuna and saw the determination inside of his eyes. It was like a flame that could never be put out. "Ok we'll try your way, but can we hangout without the others today? Just in case your plan doesn't work?"

"Hmm," he said as he thought to himself. "I still have to tell everyone something."

"What's so important that it can't wait a day?"

"I think it could probably wait a day but I want to get it off my chest. I guess I could tell you now. I don't see any harm in that. It may come as a shock though."

"I don't care. You're my best friend," he said as he gave him a reassuring smile.

"I'm gay."

Enma stared at him. His face was just blank. It made Tsuna uncomfortable.

"I thought you were straight," he finally said.

"So did I," he said. Enma had a puzzling look upon his face.

"But I thought you liked that one girl. When did you figure this out?"

Tsuna wasn't expecting a question like that. In fact, he hadn't thought that he might get questions about his sexuality. He guessed that he became gay around the time when he started dating Hibari. He didn't like that Enma asked him that question. He felt as if it was rather personal.

"I don't know when," he lied defensively. "I just am."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that. I didn't mean to offend you. It just came as a surprise. I just didn't think you liked guys like that. Is there anyone you're with?"

"I'm dating Hibari," Tsuna stated proudly. Enma's jaw dropped.

" _Him_?" he emphasized.

"Yes him," Tsuna said as a matter of fact. "Is there a problem?"

"Yes! Yes there's a problem!" Enma exclaimed. Tsuna was taken aback. He didn't expect this out of his best friend. He thought Enma would've been supportive. This isn't how he thought it would go.

"You can't date him. I mean, we're talking about Hibari right? The same Hibari who is the leader of the disciplinary committee. The same guy who threatens you for being late. The same guy who carries out his threats because you are late. The same guy who puts people in  _hospitals_. The same guy right?"

"You don't know him like I do." He scowled.

"How so?" Enma shouted. "'Cause from my point of view, he's a very abusive person. You know, I bet you're not actually gay. I bet he made you think that so he could have you."

"Take that back," Tsuna shouted as his unbroken hand balled into a fist. "And don't you dare talk about him like that. I love him and he loves me. He didn't force me to do anything. My feelings have changed for him now that I know him. He's not a bad guy!"

"Oh and I suppose Adelheid isn't?"

Tsuna looked puzzled.

"She's just like Hibari. She may have some sad back story, but that doesn't justify the things she chooses to do at the end of the day. She's violent and won't let anything stop her to get what she wants. I know her and she's just like him. Violent and reclusive. You know, most of the times I don't even know where she is half the day."

"Hibari's different. I love him and he loves me. He wouldn't do anything to hurt me. I know him. There's another side of Hibari that almost nobody knows. Trust me if you met him, the real him, then you would understand.

"Oh, I'll understand how at the beginning of the day he hits you for being late, but at the end of the day he still loves you? Tsuna! If he really likes you, he wouldn't be hitting you! If he was actually a good person, he wouldn't be hitting anybody!"

"He doesn't hit me. Not since we've been dating. Enma, please don't do this," Tsuna begged. "I love him and I value our friendship. Please don't do this. Don't make me torn between my friends and my boyfriend."

Enma shook his head and got up. He brushed off his pants and looked at Tsuna with a sad yet stern face.

"If he truly loves you," Enma whispered, "then he would quit the disciplinary committee and grow up. He's old enough, there's no reason he should be in middle school anymore."

Enma walked away leaving Tsuna behind. Tsuna was stunned. He couldn't believe his best friend right now. He couldn't believe he was being so rude. But, Hibari never hit him while they were dating. Although, that day they broke up, Hibari was going to bite him to death for being late and out of uniform. But besides that.

Tsuna shook his head. He didn't have to make Hibari do anything. And Hibari didn't have to make Tsuna do anything. He did want to test Hibari's love after talking to Enma, but there's no way he could ask Hibari to do something he didn't want to do, especially if Hibari already loved to do it. Now after telling Enma, he wasn't sure if he should tell his other friends. He didn't feel so confident anymore.

Tsuna got up and decided he would go and talk with Hibari. He felt that his boyfriend would make him feel better. Unfortunately, Tsuna didn't know where Hibari would be right now. He was probably home but he lived so far away. Tsuna groaned; he didn't want to walk that far. Then again, if Hibari walked all the way to Tsuna's house yesterday then it couldn't be that bad. Tsuna started walking and walked a couple of feet before stopping.

"Ugh, my stomach," he moaned. "I'm so hungry." He forgot that he had to skip breakfast. He turned around and walked home. Hibari would have to wait. Besides, he was sure Bianchi had calmed down by now. Who knows? Maybe she left the house with Lambo and I-Pin. That would be cool. Futa was at school definitely. He wondered if Dino would be there though. He didn't see him yesterday or this morning. His mom was probably going to be there for sure and Reborn also. Actually, Tsuna was sure that Reborn would have Hibari's number and that would save Tsuna the trouble of walking all the way to Hibari's house.

"I'm home!" Tsuna said as he took off his shoes. It was a bit difficult since he couldn't really use one of his hands. He wasn't even sure how he got them on this morning when he ran out the door. "Mom?"

Nobody answered back. It didn't appear that anyone was home. It was slightly disappointing because of the eerie quietness of the house. He was used to the house full of voices and people that now it was weird when it was quiet. He shrugged and grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading up to his bedroom. Reborn was exactly where Tsuna last saw him. He was still sleeping. He must have been really tired.

"What do you want Tsuna?" Reborn suddenly said scaring him. "Your thoughts are too loud."

"Sorry," Tsuna said even though he didn't know why. "I just wanted to see if you had Hibari's phone number."

"He's probably not home," Reborn retorted.

"Well doesn't he have a cell phone?"

"What makes you think I would give his number? Why don't you check the school?"

"Just give me his number," Tsuna demanded. Reborn pulled out a real gun and shot at Tsuna.

"HIIIIEEEE!"

"Haven't heard that in a while," Reborn yawned before rolling over to go back to sleep.

"Wait!" Tsuna said. "I have to ask you about something else."

"It better be important."

"Ok, so you know how Enma probably won't stay forever right?"

"Well duh. Who do you think you're talking to? What do you actually want? Spit it out."

"Well, I was wondering if you could do something about it. You know so Enma and his guardians could stay here."

"No way. Too much work. Besides that would spoil you. As a mafia boss, you should learn things the hard way first so you can appreciate the easy way."

"That's not fair!" he pouted. Nothing seemed to be going his way today.

"Neither is life."

"Well what if we made a deal?"

"No deal," Reborn stated. He never liked to negotiate with his students.

"Even if Enma and I got our grades up? What if we did? What if we got good grades, could he stay?"

"Hmm," Reborn thought, "I'll consider it only if your score becomes 90 or better."

"WHAT! That's impossible!"

"Hey. I'm being generous. I could very well make it 100."

"But you're setting me up for failure."

"Quite the contrary," Reborn said as he hopped out of bed. "If you try, you'll get good grades. So if you get good grades, Enma will stay. If you don't reach the goal but get close Enma will leave, but you'll still have improved your grades to some extent. Hey. Where's Leon?"

Reborn stared at the lifeless stuffed animal he brought in earlier. He just noticed it on the ground.

"What are you talking about? You're the one who brought that in this morning."

"Tsuna," Reborn growled. "I'm not an idiot. Obviously, you thought I wouldn't notice, but I'm the world's greatest hitman. You tell me where he is or else."

"I didn't take him!" he said defensively. He didn't want to get blamed for something he didn't do.

"Where is he?" Reborn asked again. Tsuna got a brilliant idea. He didn't know if it would work but he gave it a shot.

"I won't tell you," he said snobbishly.

Reborn cocked his gun and aimed for Tsuna's head.

"I'll bring him back!" Tsuna said hastily. "But only if you're ok with 60 or higher instead of 90!"

"You'll be dead before you ever reach the 20s."

"But then you'll never see Leon again."

Reborn shot at him several times. Tsuna just barely dodged them. A dark aura emitted from Reborn. Tsuna never felt as scared as he did now. He really thought he was going to die until Reborn's gun made a clicking sound. It was out of bullets.

"You're lucky," Reborn growled. "Find Leon or else."

"Ha, but you're not so tough without Leon now aren't you. Real bullets always run out!" Tsuna said feeling cocky.

Reborn leaped forward and kicked him on the side of his face. Tsuna hit the wall and cried out in pain.

"I will kick your ass. Despite being in this form, I can still fight."

"How about 70? That's at least passing!"

"Get Leon and we'll make it 80 and I promise I won't kill you."

"75."

Reborn threw the gun at his head and Tsuna scrambled out the door. He didn't want to stick around to see what else Reborn had to throw. Right now, he didn't know where he stood at the deal with Reborn but he hoped it would be negotiated down to 75, even though that seemed like an impossible number for him and Enma. That was the least of his worries right now though. He made a promise to find Leon when he didn't even know where Leon was. He didn't even know where Reborn went last night.

"Tenth!" Gokudera called out. He ran up to Tsuna and just by looking, he knew that Gokudera had been running for a while. He must have been looking for him.

"Hey Gokudera," he said. Seeing him cheered Tsuna up a bit. He wasn't going to tell him what he told Enma. He didn't want to deal with that right now. He just wanted the rest of the day to be peaceful.

"Please tell me what you told Enma isn't true!" he begged. "That damn bastard isn't forcing you is he? 'Cause I'll blow his head off!"

Tsuna pursed his lips. He was now furious with Enma for telling Gokudera that.

"No it's not true," he spoke quietly.

"Oh thank goodness."

"I love him."

"Oh no! No no no tenth! Tsuna! Tsuna you can't!" he begged his friend. Tsuna shifted his weight awkwardly.

"And why not?" he asked angrily.

"Why not?" he said bewildered. "Because he doesn't actually love you. He's using you!"

"I don't understand why everyone thinks that." Tsuna said sadly. He really didn't.

"Tsuna…"

"Gokudera, please. Hear me out. I love him and he's never forced me to do anything that I didn't want to do."

"Nothing?"

"Well, I mean, nothing too serious."

"What did that bastard do?" Gokudera shouted. "I'll blow his head off!"

"No no! If anything, it wasn't Hibari. It was Reborn's doing!"

"I'm confused," Gokudera said. He tried to imagine how Reborn would be the one at fault but he just couldn't imagine that.

"Reborn was the one who made me start dating. Well, I mean he didn't actually make me. It was more like I was forcing myself, I guess. But if Hibari knew that I didn't actually want to in the beginning then we wouldn't have continued on. Reborn was trying to teach me a lesson, if you can believe that."

"So you didn't want to date him at first?" he said as he tried to make sense of it all.

"No, but my feelings changed once I got to know him. Dating him has made me see a completely new side to him that nobody's ever seen before. I know you don't like him and I know you don't know him like I do  _but_  if you give him a chance then you'll be able to see what I see. He's not a bad guy."

"But he is," Gokudera hissed. "You may be right about him being different and you're right, he's not a bad guy because at the end of the day he ends up helping us. So you're right, he's not a bad guy but he's definitely not a good person."

Tsuna got frustrated. He was frustrated that people weren't listening to him. He wished they could see what he saw. After talking to Enma and Gokudera though, he could see that they kept a close mind on the matter. He wished they would just listen to him. Why was that so hard?

"Whatever," Tsuna told him. He started walking away and Gokudera followed.

"Tenth, I didn't mean to upset you."

Tsuna ignored him.

"I'm sorry. I really am."

Tsuna just kept walking and ignored him. He just really didn't want to talk anymore. Gokudera kept following though. He felt bad for upsetting his friend, his boss, and he really didn't want to leave him alone right now. Especially if he was going to see that damn bastard.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are appreciated, especially constructive criticism.


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